A male engineer working for Google wrote a memo in which he suggested that the reason women are underrepresented in tech industries is because of innate differences between men and women.

He wrote that men have a “higher drive for status” than women, called diversity programs at the company “highly politicized,” suggested that hiring more women could make Google a less competitive company, and called the wage gap a myth. He also suggested that higher rates of anxiety disorders among women could be related to the lack of female representation in tech.

Sexism in male-dominated industries is nothing new, but this engineer felt comfortable enough advancing this sexist rhetoric that he wrote and circulated an eight-page document dedicated to the subject. Add your name to the petition below to demand this employee be fired for this insulting and discriminatory memo.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Pichai,

A male engineer working for Google recently wrote a lengthy memo in which he suggests that innate differences between men and women, rather than sexism, are responsible for the lack of female representation in tech industries.

In addition, the writer of the memo suggested that the (well documented) gender wage gap in the United States is not real, called Google programs aimed toward diversity “highly politicized,” and claimed that men simply have a “higher drive for status,” implying that this drive, rather than centuries of preferential treatment, explains the male-dominated nature of the tech landscape.

That a Google employee felt comfortable enough advancing this sexist rhetoric is troubling. I urge you to do all you can to ensure this employee is fired, and to continue to work towards a more gender-balanced environment at Google.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo credit: Goo16

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2 Comments

I won’t sign this and I’ll tell you why. The media is politicizing this issue. There might be an issue with gender pay gap but do you think that applies to women making min wage. Women in unions make the same wages as men. Women actresses might want higher pay but they are in a performance based profession. And they are far from starving at the top .